Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Here is how to save money
Are you financially stable or financially independent? There is a big difference between these two terms. If you are well paid, well off, have a good lifestyle but you can`t afford to stop working then that means you are justfinancially stable but not financially independent. Well, a large number of people retire without being financially independent.
To be financially independent you need just six simple steps:
1. Finding out how much money you have today
2. Knowing how much you need for tomorrow
3. Getting adequate life cover
4. Investing the surplus as per your risk taking ability, and writing a Will.
Home buying tops the priority list of all individuals and also is one of the most important asset that one builds. Also, with the availability of loan, which offers tax benefits, it becomes more beneficial.
While experts advise not to take loan for a depreciating asset, they say that individuals should be careful while taking a home loan and not over-leverage in a bid to build the asset.
"One should not stretch to buy the house, buy only when the income is sufficient to support the purchase and keep headroom to meet increase in EMI," said Amar Pandit, a Mumbai-based financial planner. The EMI should be such that it offers room for saving.
"Ensure that you save 10-30 per cent of your income after you have paid your EMIs as it will act as a cushion in rainy days and you will be able to pay the EMI from the corpus built," said Lovaii Navlakhi, managing director of the Bengaluru-based financial planning firm International Money Matters.
Once basic needs are covered, it is time to plan for wealth creation. Simple projections show that you do not need millions to make millions. All you need to do is begin investing - and begin early. An investment of Rs5,000 per month started at age 25 can become Rs1.6 crore by the age of 50 if invested in an instrument that returns an annual rate of 15 per cent.
"While equity and debt investment will differ individually, as a thumb rule one can allocate 100 minus your age in equity and the rest in debt," said Surya Bhatia, principal consultant at the Delhi-basedfinancial planning firm, Asset Managers. "Gold can also form a part and one can invest 5-10 per cent in it."
Delhi, Mumbai among top global cities
India should be proud as New Delhi and Mumbai hold 45th and 46th position and Kolkata occupies the 63rd spot in a list of rankings of 65 global cities, a survey says. The list is topped by New York, London and Tokyo.
Karachi was ranked 60, Dhaka was placed at 64 while Beijing was ranked 15th. It may be recalled that Beijing suddenly caught the imagination of the world by successfully hosting the Olympics.
"The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city," said the report released by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine in collaboration with AT Kearney and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
"Asia now boasts of half the top 10 most global cities (though New York and London still rule). But many of the fastest-growing places are far down on the list, proving the point that it's a lot easier to grow big than it is to grow smart," the magazine said.
Paris and Hong Kong have been ranked fourth and fifth respectively, while Chicago has been placed at sixth spot, followed by Los Angeles (7), Singapore (8), Sydney (9), Seoul (10), Brussels (11), San Francisco (12), Washington (13) and Toronto (14).
"So what makes a Global City? Not size alone, that's for sure; many of the world's largest megalopolises, such as Karachi (60), Lagos (59), and Kolkata (63), barely make the list. Instead, the index aims to measure how much sway a city has over what happens beyond its own borders -- its influence on and integration with global markets, culture, and innovation," the report said.
The seats of traditional political power aren't necessarily the most global. Only four of the top 10 cities are national capitals. Washington comes in at No 13. Beijing (15) edges out Berlin (16), which trounces Moscow (25), it said.
"Two of the top 10 global cities are laws unto themselves, operating outside the jurisdiction of a separate national government (Hong Kong and Singapore). The sun set a half-century ago on the British Empire, and yet London continues to shine at No 2 for now," it added.
Unsporting Sri Lankan bowler apologised to Veeru
After his most unsporting action,Sri Lankan off spinner against India in a one day match on Monday, Suraj Randiv has apologised for his conduct to Indian opener Virender Sehwag. His deliberate bowling a no ball denied Indian opener his ton.
In a sms message to News 24, Sehwag confirmed that Randiv came to his hotel room in order to apologise. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Cricekt Board has also apologised the action of Randiv. Sehwag was just one short of his 13th ODI hundred when Randiv, who had not bowled a no ball in the Test or ODI series this season, bowled one which was hit by the opener for a six.
However, it did not count because the no ball amounted to India`s winning run leaving Sehwag on an unbeaten 99. Randiv`s antics were criticised by Sehwag in the post match press conference but the issue seems to be cooling off after the Lankan bowler offered apologies.
"Randiv came to my room and apologised," Sehwag wrote on his Twitter page. India comprehensively won last night`s match by six wickets but the conduct of the Sri Lankan team upset the visitors` camp.
Minutes after the game, a livid Sehwag told reporters that Sri Lanka had used such tactics earlier also, pointing out that they had left Sachin Tendulkar stranded at 99 with a similar strategy in a match in Cuttack. Sri Lankan Cricket, on its part, has already conveyed its apologies for the incident to the Indians and has even promised action after getting the team manager`s report on the matter.
Good kiss is both erotic and sexy
No other act is so simple and so intimate. The light suction, the flick of the lip, the playful nibble, the deep advance and retreat of the tongue—a good kiss is like jazz, an improvisation of melodies, flirtatious staccatos, and passionate brassy crescendos. A good kiss is a rapport enacted physically, like , but more erotic.
Many women don`t realize this. I`ve been surprised at how many treat kissing like it really is "first base," just a step towards something better. And when I meet such women, I face a dilemma, like being a music lover who discovers that a new friend has bad taste. Do you break it off, or do you educate?
And if you educate, how do you give lessons without giving offense?
My first encounter with such a kisser ended badly. Julie and I were 14, at the conclusion of our second date. She tilted her head, put her open lips to mine, and, using a combination of wetness andsuction , established airlock. Then her tongue invaded. I imagined an eel or a water-dwelling snake, or perhaps a tapeworm, darting towards my throat, slithering around, and then withdrawing, only to strike again immediately.
I tried to block her with my tongue, but she swirled and pushed me back. I could not breathe. Then I began to gag reflexively. Being fourteen has its disadvantages; Julie had not learned the cardinal rule ofkissing: it`s a conversation.
There`s nothing inherently wrong with an all-out tongue invasion, but if your interlocutor hasn`t asked for it, then you`re more scary than sexy. I didn`t even call Julie to break up with her, figuring that if a girl had literally made me gag, she would probably get the message. I soon realized, however, that my modest adolescent social status didn`t leave me much room to be choosy. Plus, it turned out that even some awesome girls were terrible atkissing. I would have to teach them.
I took my instructional inspiration from my first girlfriend, Christine—my gold standard when it comes to kissing. Our first kiss had been, to a boy on a first date, a small miracle. I had been terribly nervous as we approached her front door. My hands had begun to sweat. (How could I touch her with sweaty hands?) I became aware of my gangly height. (Could I reach her without bending awkwardly?) I began to doubt that I should kiss her at all.
But she made it very simple. She took my wrists and clasped my hands behind her back, rose onto her toes, and pressed her bottom lip between mine, drawing my top lip between hers, just until I returned the gesture. Then it was over, punctuated with a little smack ofsuction as we parted. For several days after, the kiss ran through my mind. What stood out in my replay, even more than her malleable lips and that hint of her tongue, was my own feeling of pride. Despite my adolescent fumblings, I somehow felt that I had acted—there was no other word—smooth.
A great kisser makes you feel like a great kisser.
The lesson here, for any would-be kissing instructor, is that you have to teach without suggesting something is wrong. In fact, your unsuspecting students should feel as if they are teaching you. To make this happen, you first have to understand what makes people kiss poorly. The most common mistake of bad kissers is excessive frenching, that is, the over-useof the tongue. They`re not sure what else to do; they confuse passion with penetration.
In response, at first, you have to french back. If you make bad kissers feel self-conscious, they`ll never improve. So you indulge them, switching the directionof the tongue-swirl periodically to keep the semblance of spontaneity.
Then, right before the monotony becomes a turn-off, go for a lip. Choose top or bottom; the more thickly fleshed is probably the best one. Once you`ve focused on just one lip, you create so many options: simplesuction; the lip switch from top to bottom, or bottom to top; the sly addition of the tongue; escalation to a full-on frencher, then a teasing retreat; the nibble. The wonderful thing about a lip lock is that once it`s established, anykissing partner with a modicum of creativity will discover the possibilities and try the combinations. All you have to do is reward them by returning the favors.
More important than any single technique, though, is a general principle: you have to awaken your bad kisser`s creativity.
My proudest kissing conquest, for example, is my current girlfriend, Sarah. She was the ultimate challenge. When we first met, she didn`t like to kiss. She thought it felt phony. If you were feeling so damn passionate, she reasoned, then why weren`t your clothes off? Being the lucky object of her passion, I didn`t much argue the point—at first. Instead, I just tried to understand how on earth someone could dislikekissing.
To my surprise, I found that Sarah had much in common with the overenthusiastic tongues of my youth. For all of them, kissing was nothing more than an intimation of sex. For the over-kissers, like Julie the tongue-invader, kissing was good to the extent it mimicked intercourse. For Sarah the under-kisser, it was just a step toward what happened next. As a result, she, like otherkissing dilettantes, could not see the range of kissing possibilities.
Amit Shah's bail plea adjourned till August 30
The hearing on the bail application of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah was adjourned till August 30 on Tuesday by a special CBI court. Shah was arrested in connection with the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
The matter came up for hearing in the court of CBI Judge GK Upadhyay. Shah`s lawyer Mitesh Amin requested adjournment saying that their senior counsel Ram Jethmalani could not make it to the court.
Meanwhile, the court also adjourned the hearing on application of Rubbabuddin Sheikh, brother of Soharabuddin Sheikh, to be included as a party in the bail application ofShah, till August 27.
Shah, a former Minister of State for Home and close aide of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested by CBI in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case and charged with murder, extortion and kidnapping.
Mayawati govt bows to farmers’ demands
The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh late Monday agreed to raise compensation money for the farmers. The decision came in the wake of farmers protests in parts of the state over land acquisition for the Yamuna Expressway, a 165 km road link from Noida to Agra.
Farmers will now get a compensation of Rs 570 per square feet instead of Rs 436 per square feet announced earlier, according to Uttar Pradesh government officials.
Further, the government has also decided to double the compensation for the farmers who died in the protests to Rs10 lakh, which was earlier Rs5 lakh.
A compensation of Rs 2 lakh has also been announced for those injured in the police firing. Three people including a police constable were killed Saturday night, in clashes between the police and agitating farmers.
The government has also agreed to the farmers` demand that no farmer will be forced to part with his land if he doesn`t want to.
All detained farmers, including their leader Rambabu Kathalia, will be released today.
The issue rocked the Parliament on Monday leading to the adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Opposition demanded a discussion over the farmers` demands. BJP and BSP members clashed on the issue of police firing on farmers.
Madani arrested in Bangalore blast case
The Bangalore Police on Tuesday arrested People`s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nasser Madani in connection with the 2008 Bangalore blast case.
The PDP leader was arrested amid high drama from his camp, ending the eight-day long suspense. A local court had issued warrant against Madani. He is the key accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts.
Madani was taken to Thiruvananthapuram en route to Bangalore by air so that he could be produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate there this evening itself.
Earlier, at a press gathering, Madani denied his involvement in the Bangalore blasts. He said he was ready for arrest but will appeal to the Supreme Court.
"I have not got any warrant in connection with the Bangalore blast. When I read about warrant in papers, I spoke to my lawyers. This is a conspiracy against me. I approached the court for bail as it is the right of every citizen," said Madani.
Madani asked party workers to protest through democratic means and said he will surrender before the court after the afternoon prayers.
"I don`t believe I can return alive from Karnataka. I may be implicated in many other terror cases. I am suffering from a host of diseases but will surrender. If they arrest me in between, let them do," he said.
Madani was listed as the 31st accused in an additional chargesheet filed by the police last month after confessions by suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba operative T Nazir linking him to theBangalore blasts that left one person dead and 20 others injured.
Learn how to woo your man
There are several ways of gearing your man up for some romantic moments and enchanting him to become a slave for your love.
Gone are the days when wifes used to attract their husbands by hosting a candlelit dinner or preparing his favourite dishes to tempt him. Time has changed now – think wild, wicked and naughty! From being a sexy pole dancer to luring him at the doorway clad in sexy lingerie. Following are the hottest moves by experts that you can plan for your man:
Pole dancing
Be a pole dancer and make sure you get every move right, from the jazzy costumes to the most sensuous dance steps. This alluring act will leave your lover begging for more.
Don`t go overboard with your dancing, as it may leave you tired and sleepy. "Beginners avoid trying any complex dance steps, as it may carry the risk of injuring yourself. Excess climbing on the pole without maintaining a proper balance or trying out a complicated posture can do more harm than good," warns Abha, a Delhi based choreographer.
Bikini clad welcome
Put on a revealing pink bikini or sexy red lingerie and just as you hear him knock; open the door in a seductive posture to grab his attention.Your man will love the temptation and this naughty welcome is sure to get him geared for more.
Be sure that it`s your hubby `only` standing outside the door and not someone else. A peep through the magic eye or confirming his identity by asking before you open the door outright is advisable. After all, you don`t want to be caught prancing in a bikini before your neighbourhood grocer!
Porn is `okay` sometimes
It`s commonly believed that `men` love watching porn, acting like porn stars and wanting their respective partners to play in similar mode. Women, on the other hand might not enjoy the act as much, but it`s no big deal coming out of the closet once in a while. Try flattering your hubby in the most seductive style which he`s always desired for. Add that `porn` flavour in every act of seduction.
Porn may induce a certain level of discomfort or hesitation, as you`ve never tried it earlier. "Do not take it for granted that watching visually stimulating experience together will act as quick fix to spice up your sex life. Unless you share a high level of comfort with your partner, such explicit acts can cause lot of misconceptions and induce negative connotations about sex," feels Dr Vikas Mohan Sharma, consultant psychiatrist.
Wipro plans second pay rise in October
India's third largest information technology services company, is planning to give a pay rise to employees at its IT services division, with effect from October 2010. The rise, if it materialises, will be the second in this calendar year by the Bangalore-based company.
Sources said that the company had already started appraisals to give the hike from October. Owned by Azim Premji, the company usually gives salary hikes to its offshore employees in October and onsite employees in January. The IT giant also has interests in consumer care, lighting and engineering equipment.
In 2009, the company extended its annual compensation hike to February 2010 due to the slowdown. This year, the company is going ahead with its policy of giving wage hikes in October. The company's human resources head, Pratik Kumar, could not be reached, and an e-mail sent to him remained unanswered.
Wipro, which saw its attrition rate moving upward during the last two quarters, has already reshuffled its grade structure by creating one more band in the 'B' grade, which has the highest concentration ofemployees. About 20,000 people were taken in this new band (B3), with promotions and salary raises effective from last month. The company also revised wage for its overseas employees in specific countries.
Being a normal year, this year's hike is expected to be in double-digit. "The indications we are getting from the management is that the hike will be in the lower double-digit," the sources added. In October 2008, Wipro had raised wages by seven to eight per cent.
With an improvement in business environment, most Indian IT companies, including Infosys, Wipro, TCS and HCL, saw a surge in their attrition rates during the last two quarters. To contain this, IT companies are resorting to various initiatives, including salary hikes and generous variable pay, among others.
MPs arm twist government for better pay
Bowing to the strong arm tactics of MPs to hike their salaries, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government was trying to bring a bill in this regard in this session. On Tuesday, Mukherjee said in the Lok Sabha that this has to be done through a legislation. A bill has to be brought to amend the Salaries And Allowances Of Member Of Parliament Act, 1954... We are trying bring the legislation in this session.
Finance minister gave this assurance came after MPS created a scene uproar over the Union Cabinet`s deferment of a decision on a proposal to increase the salaries of MPs three-fold from Rs 16,000 per month.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad asked Mukherjee to give concrete assurance.
MPs currently get Rs 16,000 per month as salary, but the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has suggested raising it to Rs 50,000 as against Rs 80,001 recommended by a Parliamentary Committee on the grounds that it would be one rupee more than that of a secretary at Rs 80,001.
Besides the base salary, an MP gets a daily allowance of Rs 1,000 for each day when Parliament is in session or a sitting of a House committee is scheduled. A member is also entitled to a constituency allowance of Rs 20,000 per month and office expense allowance of another Rs 20,000 each month.
"We are ready. Bring the Bill tomorrow, we will pass it in two minutes," he said, leaving Mukherjee smiling. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar preferred to remain neutral on the question of salary hike for MPs.
"At the moment, you saw a turmoil in the House and their (MPs`) different opinions. When different opinions are there in the House, for a Speaker, who is supposed to be neutral, to express her opinion will not be proper," she told reporters outside Parliament House.
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